BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Some of the top names in skateboarding--yes, skateboarding!--will be at Alabaster's Veterans Park on Saturday for the seventh annual Pat Wachter Bowl Contest.

Named after Alabama's first pro skateboarder, the Pat Wachter Bowl Contest has both an open and pro division and will award cash prizes in advanced, men's, women's, and master (38-years-old and up) categories; there will also be competition in beginners and intermediate divisions, although no cash prizes will be given. Following the official competitions, there will also be a "Best Street Trick" contest.

According to organizer Chris Solomon, the competition attracts skaters from across the Southeast and around the country. "We have competitors coming in from the Midwest and beyond," he said, "and we are excited also to have 10-year-old phenom Evan 'Big E' Doherty coming."

Warm-ups and practice starts for skaters at 10:00 a.m. and competition begins at noon.

Solomon said the event is an excellent opportunity for both enthusiasts and interested spectators to enjoy a sport they might not otherwise get a chance to view live.

"The really cool thing about this contest is that word has spread each year with little or no real promotion," he said. "Skaters enjoy it because it is one of the more laid back contests, with a family-like feel."

When the event started in 2007, it was backed by World Cup Skateboarding and was part of the X-Games circuit. After traveling to different locations throughout Alabama since then, it returned to Alabaster in 2010 where it has stayed.

"Today, there is not the same pressure as one of the larger, qualifying contests," Solomon said. "It is much more in the do-it-yourself spirit that all of us grew up with."

The contest's namesake, Pat Wachter, began skateboarding in Alabama in the early 1970s and worked at various skateboard parks and for various skateboarding distributors. He became the resident pro at Birmingham's Wheel-a-Wave skate park and took part in competitions around the nation.

"He will forever have his place in Alabama's skateboarding history, and Pat still skates to this day," Solomon said.

Wachter and Solomon are organizers of Saturday's competition, along with other skateboarding enthusiasts Andy Birdwell, Jay Salillas and Tim Spinosi.